A source tells RWG that Gore has been selected as the new provider of leaky feeder cables to AeroMobile, after cables from a former supplier failed flam tests. I’ve asked Gore for comment. Gore’s web site says: “GORE Cable Based Antennas for Aircraft and Mining are multiple standard radiating coax cables that set the standard for small size and low weight.” I’m still trying to track down the former supplier. Was it Gore? No word yet on whether lawsuits have been filed. If you have a tip, you know where to find me.

Below you can see AeroMobile’s full rack. The AeroMobile equipment (three avionics units in this shot) is the equipment to the left of the orange boxes. The two thick black cables are the leaky feeder cables. I wonder how easy/difficult it is to pull these cables out and replace them. Please comment if you can shed some light on that MRO question.

So, how the devil did these systems receive certification?

It’s a question that nobody in this industry likes to address on record. So back to sources I go.

Says a source: “The key takeaway from all of this stuff is that it doesn’t matter if you put a system on board aircraft via STC or linefit. You need to do complete tests. You should do them on every single installation.”

Is the system manufacturer or the airframer ultimately to blame?

“There could be fault on both sides. Was the equipment fully qualified and was all relevant testing done by the manufacturer and the next question would be, if that’s so, was all the relevant cert testing done by the airframer,” says another source.

As mentioned in my article about the AeroMobile leaky feeder, international carriers Emirates, Air New Zealand and V Australia are among the carriers affected.

On last count, some 86 Emirates aircraft carried eXPhone, though the carrier says it believes only a small number of aircraft will require replacement cables.

Last year AeroMobile said four V Australia 777s had full eXPhone provisions installed by Boeing from the factory (trays, wiring, circuit breakers and leaky feeder cable).

Air New Zealand’s status has been a bit tougher to nail down, but it was supposed to receive its first eXPhone-fitted 777 late last year.

Then the Honeywell issue hit. And now the AeroMobile leaky feeder issue. It makes me wonder how Boeing stands on fitting GSM solutions to its aircraft right now…

Getting rid of those wires doesn’t seem an easy task, if they run all the way nose to tail as you said.

As they are crimped to the aircraft wire bundles you need to have access to those for the entire lengh (there is not possibility to “pull them out”). Seems a task to be performed at a major maintenance stop where you have time to remove panels etc….. (I don’t know where those wire are actually running, e.g. over the cabin ceiling/overhead bins, or, most likely, under the cabion floor/behind baggage compartement walls).
A possible solution, if accepted by the Aviation Authorities is to leave them in place (maybe endcapped and stowed) until a major check…